Paramount Group, Africa`s largest privately held defence and aerospace company, has launched its latest trend-setting product the Marauder Patrol at Africa’s leading defence exhibition.

The Marauder Patrol builds on the proven success of the Marauder to set a new standard in protected utility vehicles, combining mobility and high levels of protection into a versatile platform.

The ballistically protected Marauder Patrol is aimed at military, police and special forces that require an agile and quick response vehicle for use in tough environments.

The Marauder Patrol vehicle is based on COTS (commercial off the shelf) driveline components. Maintenance and support are available through commercial dealer networks.

It has a deliberately non-aggressive appearance – making it perfect for police, peacekeepers or special forces operating in sensitive environments.

The Marauder Patrol is protected to STANAG Level 1 ballistic protection, meaning it can stop shell fragments as well as 7.62mm and 5.56mm bullets. For those customers wanting extra protection, there is the choice to increase ballistic to STANAG Level 2, without impacting the performance of the vehicle.

The vehicle comes in either a five-door ‘SUV’ version which can carry nine people or a four-door ‘double cab pick-up’ model which can carry a maximum of five people.

In both cases, the vehicle is available with optional extras of run-flat tyre inserts, communications systems, add-on armour, various weapons stations and automatic transmission.

Crew comfort and ergonomics were key design elements and the vehicle is fully air-conditioned with plenty of space for tools, medical supplies and communications equipment.

Miles Chambers, Business Development Director of Paramount Group, said:

“Marauder Patrol breaks new ground in the utility vehicle market because it offers high levels of protection combined with unprecedented mobility and supportability. This makes it ideal for police and special operations forces conducting patrol-type operations, on or off-road.

“As governments seek to cope with a range of new security challenges, it is vehicles such as this that give them the flexibility to respond to a variety of threats without having to rely on more expensive or aggressive looking large scale armoured vehicles.

“This vehicle proves that when it comes to armoured vehicles South Africa has the heritage and experience to make some of the most innovative solutions in the world.”